UAAP: Green Archers fall to fifth, miss first Final Four since 2011

Among the various positives and negatives that could describe the DLSU Green Archers’ UAAP Season 78, the one factor that tied them together was youth. In La Salle’s 14 games, different aspects of the team’s age stood out, with the need for experienced players playing a part in their missing out on the Final Four for the first time since 2011. From the lack of endgame composure to ill-advised shot selection, the Green Archers’ youth was perhaps what defined their season more than their wins and losses.

DLSU entered Season 78 with high expectations, not just because of the blue-chip recruits and the inclusion of Ben Mbala into the lineup, but also because of the memory of the devastating loss to FEU still fresh in their minds. Moreover, the preseason showed promising results, as the likes of Andrei Caracut and Jeron Teng indicated that La Salle was primed for a deep run in the UAAP.

In the end, however, this would not translate to league play as problems with closing out games, compounded with other factors such as injuries of various magnitudes and not to mention Mbala’s ineligibility, affected the team from the start of the season.

Promising beginnings

The Green Archers could not have asked for a better opening statement than with their 67-63 win over Season 77 champions, the NU Bulldogs. Teng, Caracut, and Jason Perkins got their season off to a good start by combining for 44 points while winning their third straight game over the Bulldogs dating back to the previous year. However, they could not build off their resounding win as they went on to suffer two tough losses to UP and FEU.

La Salle bounced back by winning three of their next four games, losing only to UST by double digits, 77-61. They picked up wins against both UE and Adamson, but the loss to the Growling Tigers placed more emphasis on the Green Archers’ first round finale against the ADMU Blue Eagles.

Staring down at a 10-point halftime deficit, DLSU rallied against Ateneo to seize the win in the dying seconds, thanks to the heroics of Josh Torralba, whose three-pointer put La Salle ahead for good, and placed them in the top four at the end of the first seven games.

Closing struggles

Season 78 was a tale of two halves as the Green Archers could not sustain their early season momentum, opening the second round with a close 81-79 loss to UST. Despite holding a lead that went up to as many as 11 points, La Salle could not hold off their opponents, dropping the match in the final quarter.

Though the team redeemed themselves by picking up a 72-64 win over UE soon afterwards, DLSU would drop their next three games, all of which saw them hold double-digit leads at one point. One of those losses was to cellar-dweller Adamson, who overcame a 17-point deficit to stun the Green Archers in the game’s final moments.

Throughout that slump, La Salle continued to control its fate for a Final Four spot, with their 72-68 win against UP setting up a win-or-go-home match against FEU. In what ended up as DLSU’s final game this season, the team could not overcome FEU’s bench as Monbert Arong and Roger Pogoy helped this season’s champions come away with a 71-68 victory, shutting the door on the Green Archers’ Final Four hopes.

By the numbers

It was evident that the Green Archers relied heavily on their starters, as the first five accounted for around 71 percent of their total points scored in each game, with the starting unit averaging 51.4 points per game. Teng and Thomas Torres, DLSU’s most senior players, contributed to more than half of the total starter points. Though turnovers were presumed to be the problem, La Salle ended the elimination round at the middle of the pack, averaging only 18.2 turnovers per game, good for fourth in the league. A glaring statistic would have to be their three-point shooting, as they made 22.5 percent of their 289 three-point attempts, second-worst in the league behind UP.

All was not lost this season as Teng was named to the UAAP Season 78 Mythical Five with his averages of 18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while Caracut earned Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 12 games.

Youth can be a double-edged sword and for La Salle, this season saw them feel the brunt of both sides. Nine of the players lined up had no UAAP experience and as the season progressed, their minutes and their exposure went up. Now, these players have a year under their belt and most of them have adjusted to playing in the collegiate level. Also, with the team set to remain intact for Season 79 and new head coach Aldin Ayo already instilling his system as early as the first few weeks of December, the Green Archers have nowhere to go but up.